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MEMBER PROFILE
Thom Trause Ithaca Soy

Thom Trause, owner of Ithaca Soy, took advantage of the SBA Express Loan when he decided to buy out his partner and become sole owner of this local business. "It made sense for me to turn to Alternatives," Thom says of his choice, "because they aren't the starchy-shirt kind of people I usually find at financial institutions. The people at Alternatives were so helpful. I credit Alternatives for my ability to buy, relocate and run my business with no lapse in production at all. I can't imagine any other place that would have helped me the way Alternatives did. I guess I could say that because of my experience, I'll be back for any business needs I have in the future."
Board Committees

Alternatives Federal Credit Union is a financial cooperative. The Board of Directors are elected representatives of the members of Alternatives. Board Committees are the training and recruiting ground for Board members. Committees meet once a month. Their membership is comprised of Board members, non-Board Credit Union members, and a staff liaison. Committees make recommendations to the Board, which makes final decisions.

If you are interested in participating as a volunteer, please consider joining a Board committee. Contact the staff liaison or the committee chair to learn more, including the date of the next committee meeting.

 

Loan Policy Committee
Review and propose changes to loan policies and make recommendations for new programs. Review and discuss monthly lending activity, trends and changes.

The value of serving on the Loan Policy committee is being able to work towards creating products that help underserved people: being true to our mission. It is rewarding to see the impact our work has in the community. We see members become homeowners at Alternatives after other lenders refused to work with them. We see small businesses open their doors and enrich our community. We watch members on the Credit Path work to establish credit, borrow for a car, and eventually becoming homeowners.

Committee Chair: Diana Drucker
Staff Liaison: Carol Chernikoff

 

Budget Committee
Review budgets, audit, capital expenditures, delinquency, collection,investments, and financial statements.

Why should you join the Budget Committee? Because that's where the money is! Seriously, there is nothing that is more important for a credit union than to ensure that its operations are financially sound. The Budget Committee works closely with Alternatives' top-notch staff to review financial trends, develop financial policies and oversee how the Credit Union's funds are invested and spent.
A lot of this work directly affects the ability of Alternatives to meet its core mission of helping everyone take better control of their financial futures. The members of the Budget Committee help to prioritize how and where Alternatives' resources are spent. These decisions directly affect the programs and services offered by Alternatives, and ultimately, its members. You don't have to be a bean counter to join the Budget Committee. You just have to have an interest in the future of our members.

Committee Chair: Brian Hunt
Staff Liaison: Joseph Welch

 

Human Resources Committee
Prepare personnel policies, review employee concerns, prepare employment contracts, recommend annual personnel budget, coordinate CEO annual appraisal and review salary charts.

Members of the Personnel Committee meet monthly with the Human Resources Manager to discuss a wide variety of personnel related matters such as: proposed revisions to personnel policies, proposed changes to major employee benefits such as health insurance and review of annual salary charts used to set staff salaries and year end bonuses. The committee reviews the proposed annual personnel budget and makes recommendations to the full Board as part of the budget process. The Personnel Committee is also responsible for coordinating the annual review of the CEO, with at least one member participating in the review.

Committee Chair: Alison Christie
Staff Liaison: Lenore Olmstead

 

Member Service Committee
This committee considers and approves outreach and education strategies for the membership, with special focus on the financially underserved.

Committee Chair: Kenny Christianson
Staff Liaison: Melissa Pollack

 

Community Relations Committee
Review credit union's needs for external funding and strategies for obtaining funding. Review policy, support various education programs (IDA, Business CENTS, Money Wise, Student Credit Union.) Review, maintain and encourage adherence to our Mission Statement. Nominate to fill volunteer openings and plan Annual Meeting.

The challenge of our Development Committee is to identify and build workable, successful strategies for gaining financial support that will fund the numerous educational and outreach programs that are a vital part of our work as a Community Development Credit Union. Examples of sources for funding are foundations, private corporations and government funds earmarked for economic development. Obtaining funding is enhanced through the creative thinking and brainstorming that is done by Development Committee members. When the job is done right, the Development Committee work can be passed along to assist other groups whose same mission is to build sound, economic survival and growth strategies for the underserved.

Committee Chair: Tom Terrizzi
Staff Liaison: Deirdre Silverman

 

Supervisory Committee
Oversees internal audit functions for Alternatives.

Federal Credit Union bylaws mandate the establishment of a Supervisory Committee. The job of the committee is to work to ensure the financial safety and soundness of the credit union on behalf of the Credit Union's members. This is one of the most important jobs associated with the Credit Union. The Supervisory Committee has two general goals: ensure management's financial reporting presents a fair and accurate picture of the Credit Union's condition, and ensure management practices and procedures safeguard member's assets. The main tool used by the Supervisory Committee to accomplish its goals is hiring external auditors to perform an annual audit of the Credit Union's finances and accounting controls. Each year the committee solicits bids from, then hires an accounting firm or other qualified auditing organization. The committee also reviews internal controls, audit and Federal examination findings, and follows up on recommendations made in the audit and examination. Supervisory Committee members are volunteers, appointed by the Board of Directors. A Committee member must be a member of the Credit Union and be bondable by the Credit Union's bonding company. Accounting or bookkeeping experience is not required, through it would be helpful in carrying out the mission of the committee.

Staff Liaison: Karl Graham

 

Governance Committee
The responsibilities are documenting board policies and procedures, board assessment, conflict resolution, and training for new and veteran board members. Nominate to fill volunteer board openings.

Committee Chair: Tom Terrizzi
Staff Liaison: Tristram Coffin